Jealous
by thenostalgicdreamer
Summary: Joe Hardy has always been jealous where Nancy Drew is concerned.
1. Chapter 1

_Thank you so much for all of your kind words on my last story. It makes me so happy that you are enjoying my work even though writing mysteries isn't my thing. This story is Joe and Nancy, but I hope you'll give it a shot even if for seeing Joe/Frank/Nancy over the years. Their ages are listed next to the AET about the beginning of each chapter._

* * *

 _AET 9, 10, 10_

Joe focused his eyes on the basket above and bounced the ball once before aiming his shot. He released and watched in horror as the ball hit the edge of the rim with a thud. He had missed.

"G!" Frank yelled, grabbing the ball which was headed toward the fence.

Joe walked away from the basket and stood on the grass to watch the rest of the game unfold. Frank and Nancy's voices became ambient noise as he pondered his loss. He had been so close. Nancy and Frank both had P-I. If only he had been able to hold on a little longer...He and Frank played P-I-G all the time, and he beat Frank on a regular basis. This time, though, he had lost to Frank and Nancy. He wasn't sure how that had happened. How could Nancy be this good? She was a girl, and he thought he had heard her say something about how she didn't play basketball that often.

He heard a whoop from Frank and an "aww" from Nancy. Before he could register what was happening, the front door was opening, and the two of them were stepping inside. He ran to catch up to them and followed them inside.

"That almost went in." Nancy was saying probably about her last shot. "If it only if had been a little higher..."

"But I still beat you fair and square," Frank returned. Joe grimisced. Frank had that look on his face he always got when he was feeling rather proud of himself. Fair and square or not, Frank's pride never needed the boost.

Nancy stopped by the kitchen table. Yeah," she said. "But you better watch out. I'll get you next next time."

"I'll be ready." Frank opened the fridge. "Do you want some juice?" he asked. It was apparent he was talking to Nancy. Frank never got Joe a drink unless he was deathly ill and begged until he was sick of begging.

"Sure, thank you," she replied politely.

The fridge door shut, and Frank grabbed two cups from the cupboard and poured juice in them. He had opened the fridge again to put the juice jug back when Joe interrupted him with a "hey".

Joe hoped Frank would grab him a drink too, but instead he merely slid the jug along the counter to the end where Joe was standing. Joe poured himself some juice feeling very frustrated. Why did Frank have to treat Nancy like a special guest? She was at their house, but she was just a friend.

"Come see something in the backyard." Frank was talking to just Nancy again.

She set her cup down on the table followed him out. Joe got into step behind them. What were they doing walking so close anyway? Nancy was a girl. Girls were fine. Joe was friends with a few girls at school himself, but letting a girl get that close—what was Frank thinking? Their hands were almost touching! He listened carefully for their conversation, but they weren't saying anything just walking.

Frank stopped right in front of the corner of the garage, and Joe's heart sunk. He knew exactly what Frank is doing.

"Here." Frank handed the loose brick to Nancy. "This is where we keep all our case notes. No one would think to look here, and the brick keeps the rain out."

"Very cool," Nancy said. "I have a place like that at home. Remember the cupboard right by the laundry chute?"

Well, if Frank was going to show off this place, he might as well join in. "This is the..." Joe began.

Frank interrupted. "I thought you might like to see these." He pulled out a stack of paper of various colors folded in thirds.

"I wrote those, Frank," she laughed. "I'd like to think I'd remember what's in them."

"I suppose so," Frank mused. "I reread them though."

Joe could handle no more. He kept his footsteps quiet as he turned and walked away. It wasn't like Frank and Nancy would notice him gone anyway. They had seemingly forgotten he was even there. He settled down at the bench under the big apple tree where he liked to sit and play fetch with Max.

Nancy, well, she wasn't used to being with him. She usually was in River Heights with her dad and Hannah and whatever those girls' names were who were her friends. Never mind that; it didn't matter. But Frank was his brother and best friend. They did everything together so much so that it was always Frank and Joe and people hardly ever said one name without the other. Yet, bringing Nancy in was enough for Frank to forget him. It was like there was a new duo arising—Frank and Nancy—and that that was just as important their bond as brothers. That was a tough pill to swallow.

Worst yet was the fact that Frank had decided to show her their top secret hiding spot. The rest of his behavior could have been explained as just being friendly, but that was so much more than friendliness. That spot was their own little secret. They didn't share that with any of their friends—not Tony, Biff, or even Chet. That was for them alone or at least he had thought it had been. Now, he wasn't so sure.

To make it even worse, Frank had put his dumb letters from Nancy in there too. Joe had thought it would be fine when Nancy and Frank decided to become pen pals, but gosh, he could do without Frank repeating what Nancy had done on her last case fifty times. Joe didn't want to be pen pals with anyone. It sounded like too much work to write down all the details of his life. But Joe was getting tired of Frank writing to Nancy all the time especially since he didn't want Mom or Aunt Gertrude to think too much about it or they'd make him get a pen pal just for penmanship practice.

Joe dug for the ball under the bench and threw it as hard as he could hoping Max would come and chase it. As he did, he realized that there was a word for how he was feeling—jealous. He was jealous.

Aithor's Note: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. Is Joe's attitude annoying? This story will probably have about five chapters when it's finished. I enjoyed writing this because I grew up with two brothers and while neither of them is exactly Joe or Frank we had the best times and it gave me a lot of insight into young boys.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks again for the reviews. Your input was very helpful. I hope you enjoy this installment, and that the jealousy theme isn't getting too tiring. As usual, I welcome your input and look forward to hearing what you think especially about what stood out to you. Sorry for the confusion about the ages. I have added them at the top of each chapter._

* * *

 _AET 13, 14, 14_

Joe took a bite of his cookie and washed it down with a sip of soda before glancing down at the notepad in the grass beside him. There was nothing on it. Frank was a fan of notepads, but Joe preferred to keep to track of everything in his head. It allowed the ideas to float around in his brain until it could figure out how they were all connected. So far that hadn't happened with this case yet. It was proving hard to solve. At least, he was enjoying the solving process. It was not every case that he got to work with Frank and Nancy and that they were their "client" provided them with snacks and drinks.

He jerked his head up when he heard the sound of Nancy's voice. "There's really three possibilities here. From what Mrs. Williamson has told us, Henrietta could have escaped from the hen house herself or a person could have taken her or an animal could have eaten her. The evidence we've found at the scene is not clear. There is a hole in the fence, but it looks rather small. There's also those footprints that look too large to be Mrs. Williamson's on the other side of the fence, but they could be the neighbor's."

Joe wanted to agree with her, but he had just taken a big bite of cookie and momentarily could not speak. He turned to Frank expecting him to give some sort of answer. He too had apparently fallen prey to the same affliction. Eventually, he swallowed and replied with a "right".

Nancy meanwhile was nibbling at her cookie. Leave it to her to find a way to do whatever she was doing gracefully regardless of the circumstances.

A moment later, Frank spoke. "It would appear to me that we need to investigate all three angles of this case...What do you say we split up and each look at a different set of clues?"

Nancy nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

Joe felt disappointed. He didn't like the idea of splitting up, but the three of them made decisions based on majority rule. Frank and Nancy wanted to separate, and he didn't have any case related reason to argue for staying together. It wasn't like this case was dangerous or anything. His disagreement honestly had nothing to do with the case and everything to do with the fact that Nancy was only in town for a few days and he didn't want to miss a single minute with her. Rarely did it happen that she had time to come visit the Hardys even in the summer, and Joe was determined to make the most of it.

"That would definitely speed up the case," he forced himself to say eventually.

"Good," Frank said. "Joe, will you check out the hole? Maybe you could see if you think a chicken could fit through it. Nancy, maybe you can talk to Mrs. Williamson and find out if there's any neighbors with big dogs and whether any foxes are ever seen in the neighborhood. We also probably need to find out if there's any neighbors who have a grudge against her or dislike the chickens. I'll go next door and see if I can find out anything about the footprints. Does that work for everyone?" He glanced down at his watch. "We could meet back here in fifteen minutes?"

Joe nodded. If they had to split up, he didn't mind checking out the hole in the fence.

Nancy folded up her napkin and grabbed her soda can and notepad and pen. "I'd be happy to talk to Mrs. Williamson. She's so nice, and we really need to get those questions answered." She got up and walked towards the house. The twisted strands of her French braids glistened gold in the light, and her careful footsteps looked so dainty that Joe couldn't tear his eyes away.

He heard Frank clear his throat. "I'm headed out."

"Me too," Joe added. He walked over to the chicken run and opened the gate. After locating the hole, he began surveying its size.

When had Nancy Drew gotten so pretty? Her titan hair, her hazel eyes, and even her freckles-the freckles he used to tease her about-were so...nice. Her freckles were like these little dots that marked her face as uniquely her own. No one else had freckles at the exact same spots. That was kind of mind blowing if he thought about it for too long. And her smile was so warm. When she was smiling at him, he always thought he was going to die of happiness.

Turning his attention back to the hole, he traced the edge with his hand. It was rather small. He held one of the chickens up to it and was surprised by how large the chicken was compared to it. He let her go and glanced over to the coop. His eyes stumbled on a little piece of brick. It looked barely bigger than the hole. Maybe it fit?

Joe had grabbed another cookie from inside and was back under the tree before the fifteen minutes were up. He wasn't generally the punctual type, but the shade was certainly inviting. Nancy and Frank joined him a few minutes later.

"So what did you two find out?" Joe asked cheerfully, noticing that his good mood had returned with Frank and Nancy.

"Well, Mrs. Williamson hasn't ever heard about any foxes being in the neighborhood." Nancy read from her notes. "There are a couple of large dogs nearby, but the HOA requires them to be fenced. Mrs. Williamson says that they never escape. Plus, they're labs, a golden retriever, and a grey hound which are breeds that aren't typically known to be aggressive with other animals. She had good things to say about the neighborhood and her neighbors, but she did say that she's heard that one of them—I think she said his name was Bill Winters—has complained to some of the others about her chickens."

Frank quickly jumped in. "Then it looks like we'll need to investigate him more. The neighbor lady lives alone, and her feet are this big." He held up his hands to show them how small they were. "She couldn't have made the footprints. What did the hole look like, Joe?"

"It's tiny. I highly doubt that a chicken could have gotten through it. Plus, I found this near the coop." He showed them the piece of brick he had found. "It's the right size and shape. I think it used to be blocking the hole, and our mysterious thief moved it to make it look like Henrietta escaped. Come on, guys. Let's go investigate this Bill Winters."

Frank looked up from the notepad where he was jotting down notes on their findings. "Why don't we ask Mrs. Williamson about him first? We can't be sure he's suspicious without knowing more."

"I just have a feeling that he's our man," Joe said. "Why waste her time? Why not check around his place right now? The chances are he isn't even home."

Nancy's eyes were shining, and it made him smile. She was always up for an adventure, and he was always thankful to have her around to help him talk Frank into not being so annoyingly thorough. "I'm with Joe on this one. Let's go ahead and go."

"Okay," Frank conceded. "Nance, why don't you ask Mrs. Williamson for his house number? We'll meet you out front."

Once Nancy had procured the necessary information, the detectives headed down the street to the house of Bill Winters. Joe reached the gate first, but let Frank figure out how to open it. Joe had speed on his side; Frank was all stealth, and that was what they needed here. They silently crept into the backyard heading for different corners. It was Joe who spotted the tiny dog carrier by the fence. As he got closer, the air was filled with the sound of a cluck as a red beck appeared through the bars. It was a chicken that matched Henrietta's description! Before Frank and Nancy had reached the spot where he stood, he heard the sound of a sliding glass door followed by a loud shout of "get out of here or I'm calling the cops". Unfortunately, Joe didn't get a good look at the man as he crossed the yard and ran out the gate, but he was still pretty sure it was Bill Winters.

The day was hot, but the three of them ran at top speed back up the street. Years of sports and cases had prepared them to always be ready to break into a run when necessary. He took a glance at Nancy who didn't look tired at all. She just kept running, her braids flying up and hitting her back with every step. He also caught sight of a necklace which bounced up and flew down to hit the front pocket of her overalls as she ran. As he looked more closely, he realized that it was her "n" necklace, a birthday gift from Ned last year.

"Whew!" Frank said as he came to a stop.

Nancy's sprint ended right beside him. "I think we know who our man is," she laughed out of breath. "He couldn't be anymore obvious."

"Yep," Joe said. The case was just as well wrapped. As happy as he was about that, he felt the frustration rising in his chest and wandered off to cool down. He knew it wasn't a good idea for him to hang around the others when he was feeling really upset. His brain was just so close to his mouth, and that could cause him to say things he regretted. Sometimes the best way to compensate was simply to follow his parents' advice and give himself some space to cool down.

He knew right away he was upset about Nancy. He was supposed to be enjoying her visit, but he was already struggling with that. She was so perfect in every way—so pretty, so kind, so smart. He liked her a lot, but she had not picked him. She like the necklace that hung around her neck was Ned's. Seeing that shiny piece of metal glittering as she ran had gotten him feeling more than a little upset. It had reminded him that he was just the invisible little brother and that Nancy didn't want him. She wanted Ned.

To make things worse, she had come up and stood by Frank after their run was over. She had wanted to tell him about the outcome of the case. Joe was sick and tired of playing third wheel. He didn't like feeling left out and unnoticed. He knew that Nancy and Frank both appreciated him as a person, but he didn't feel that when they were together. Nancy always ran to Frank. He longed for her to acknowledge him both as a detective and a friend.

As things stood, Joe knew that Nancy would go running to Frank again if something happened between her and Ned. He had no chance. He wasn't her best friend; he wasn't her boyfriend. He was just Joe, and that had him feeling very jealous.


	3. Chapter 3

_I want to apologize in advance to any Joe x Vanessa fans. I do not in fact dislike Miss Bender. This just happened to be the way that this story ended up going.  
_

* * *

 _AET 22, 23, 23_

"So how's law school?" Joe heard Callie say to Nancy with a sideways glance at Frank that seemed to say that that was enough brother-brother conversation. She was right. Maybe he and Frank hadn't gotten to see each other in awhile, but that was no excuse for leaving Nancy out of the conversation—not when this was an unofficial Hardy-Drew Investigator's meeting.

After taking a sip of his soda, he turned to look at Nancy who was sitting beside to him. "Good," she said with a smile. "It's challenging obviously, but I'm really enjoying my classes. Dad talked about it a lot when I was a kid, and it's fun to see what it's actually like. I do have to admit that I'm going through a bit of withdrawal not having time to take any cases."

Across the table, Frank nodded. "That's complete understandable. It's been hard for me too. I've been lucky enough to get to take a few, but I'm too busy to take very many at all."

"He's been doing really well with it," Callie added putting her arm around him reassuringly. "When you've spent your whole life pursuing something, it's only natural it's going to be hard setting it aside. I can't imagine not being able to do art. That'd be really rough." She turned and whispered Frank's ear, and the two of them were instantly lost in their own world.

Joe smiled. Frank and Callie were ridiculously adorable. Maybe it sometimes got too saccharine for his taste, but he had no doubt in his mind that it was the real deal. They had a strong bond that was joined by love, trust, and affection. These days they were practically attached at the hip, which is why she had joined them for the meeting that was technically only supposed to be Frank, Joe, and Nancy.

He turned to Nancy. "They're so happy, aren't they?"

She smiled. "I've never seen him happier. It's working out so well."

"Yeah, Callie's great." Maybe Frank and Callie had met in 9th grade, but Joe had always had a feeling that what they had was going to last. And it had—through all of high school and college. Now, they were just months away from promising each other forever, and Joe knew it would be a real life case of living happily ever after. As he pondered Frank and Callie, he found his mind wandering to the other couple that he had thought would be together forever. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened with you and Ned? I always thought you had something really good going."

A cloud passed across Nancy's face making Joe wonder if he had been wrong to ask. But just as quickly as the sadness had appeared on Nancy's face, it was gone. Joe breathed an inward sigh of relief. "We just wanted to go in different directions. Ned has always been so supportive of my work, but his path took him away from New York. He wanted me to go with him, and I knew I couldn't do that, so I ended it. It was sad to leave him obviously, but if I had to choose between him or detective work, the choice was clear."

"I'm sorry," Joe said. He had heard from Frank that the long standing couple had broken up, but he had never broached the subject with Nancy.

"Don't be," she replied. "It's a good thing. I had been with him so long that I hadn't gotten a chance to be single or know who I was without him. It's been a great year getting to explore all of that. Plus, he was super nice about it, and we still keep in touch over text." Her tone was positive. It seemed pretty clear she still had some residual feelings, but she was okay.

"That's good." Joe couldn't exactly explain how it made him feel to know that she was okay. He had long been worried that saying goodbye to Ned had dragged her down, but she honestly seemed better than she had during the last few years of her relationship.

"And Vanessa?" she asked politely. Nancy had only met the tall blonde a few times, but she never failed to ask about her.

Joe thought for a moment before speaking. He and Vanessa were so busy that they didn't get to see each other as much as they once had. "She's doing well. She just has a lot going on between school and work and all her extracurricular activities."

"I'm glad. She's such a sweet girl. I'd love to get know her better. Maybe I can actually get around to that after I finish law school."

Joe nodded. "That'd be great." Instantly, he found himself thinking that that wouldn't be great. The whole thought was very unsettling. Just as he was pondering why, he heard Callie launch into some story of something that had happened when she was hanging out with Vanessa—Callie and Frank's moment was over. But Joe noticed that he had actually heard the story before, and he found himself back to pondering why he was feeling so unsettled.

He did appreciate her offer. It was very kind of her to want to get to know his girlfriend. Honestly, he felt like it was an offer of friendship. In essence, she was saying that he mattered enough to her that she wanted to know the girl who was most important to him. That was kind and felt like a big step. Frank and Nancy had always been best friends, and he had always been the third wheel. For her to say that she wanted to be friends with him and to know his girlfriend better filled him with gratitude. Plus, he was sure the two girls would get along really well. Van might not be a detective, but she also worked in a male dominated field. She could care less if most people thought programming was for men. She liked it—it was her passion just like detective work was Nancy's.

Yet, the whole offer made him uneasy at the same time, and he wasn't sure he really wanted her to get to know his girlfriend better. It just felt precarious. As much as he tried to forget about it most of the time, he still wasn't over the crush he had gotten on Nancy at age thirteen. It was honestly a little embarrassing when he had told himself he was over her and he was on his second girlfriend since then. But the truth was that he wasn't over her; his heart somehow had not gotten the time-to-get-over-Nancy memo. Instead, he found himself trying to not stare at her, to act like he wasn't eager to hear every word that came out of her mouth. Now that she was single again how was he supposed to not think about whether or not she would actually be interested in him? To make things worse, sitting next to her at the booth across from Callie and Frank made him wonder it would be like if they were actually on a double date.

He immediately chastised himself for thinking that way. He was dating Vanessa; she deserved better than him dwelling on the idea of being with someone else. Vanessa—she was the girl who was totally out of his league who had seen something in him when he joined her coding club even though she was a grad student and he knew nothing about coding. She was the kind of girl he would have never imagined getting to date—beautiful and smart and independent and kind. Somehow, she had thought that he was somebody special even though looking back to two years before when they had met even he had to admit he had been rather immature. She must have fallen prey to the Hardy charm; there was no other explanation. As his girlfriend, she appreciated his kindness, laughed at his jokes, and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. He was grateful for Van, and everything she brought to his life.

But it only took being with Nancy, Frank, and Callie to realize something was wrong. He wasn't happy. He was doing the right things—dating a successful girl and finishing his degree in a field he loved. Yet, it wasn't enough or it wasn't doing for him what it was for them. He and Van weren't like Frank and Callie so full of happiness every time they were together that it spilled out and brightened the lives of them around them. No, they didn't argue at least not more than the "average" couple, but they were missing something. As much as he told himself it was fine, it wasn't. He was unhappy, and that was not okay.

And Nancy—she was happy. She was alone in the world, single for the first time in her life and working her way through the first year of law school. That wasn't exactly an easy place to be. Yet, her contentment was obvious. She knew she was where she wanted to be, and that made her happy. He glanced over at her trying to hide the scowl that reflected how he felt inside. How dare she be so happy when he was miserable? It wasn't fair, and that had him jealous.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this installment and Callie's appearance. I'd love to know what you thought of this. I am planning for about two more chapters at this point.**


	4. Chapter 4

_I want to apologize in advance for the angst fest that is this chapter and the fact that I reference a case without actually solving it. I'm just not a mystery writer. Sorry!  
_

 _Also I want give a warning that there is reference to harassment in this chapter._

* * *

 _AET 26, 27, 27_

Joe Hardy walked through the doors of the suite where Hardy-Drew Investigators had their office space. It had been a long day. He had spent it in New Hampshire interviewing Victoria Pearson's high school friends, but the conversations hadn't gone anywhere helpful. He was getting tired of this case. Missing person cases were difficult for him emotionally, and this one was proving especially hard to crack.  
Furthermore, Frank was out of town to work on a case in Silicon Valley leaving Joe and Nancy to tackle this one. Joe would have preferred to have gone himself, but the client had particularly requested Frank, so he had gone instead.

As Joe walked into office area, he noticed that most of the lights were off. That was no surprise as Nancy was very careful about saving money and energy. He did see light streaming from the hallway—Nancy was still in as he had hoped she would be. It was late, but he still wanted to compare notes with her. Maybe she had found something promising. He really needed encouraging news after the day that he had had. When he reached Nancy's office door, he saw that it was open just a crack. He took that as an invitation to come in. "Hi, Nance," he said by way of greeting. She didn't look up from the computer. "How are things going?"

"Fine." Her tone was sharp and snappy. "I was just getting ready to head out." He watched as she saved the file she was working on and grabbed her purse from a desk drawer and swung it over her shoulder.

"I thought it would be nice to go over things for the case. Maybe we could go get dessert and coffee or something?"

Nancy turned around her hand still on the door. "Not tonight. I want to be ready for tomorrow. I've got a busy day ahead of me."

Joe inwardly scoffed. When did Nancy ever worry about sleep? She did really well on little sleep. When she was on a case, she didn't even think about sleep. This was ridiculous. "Could you at least tell me what you found?" He felt his frustration growing and seeping into his voice. "I didn't get anywhere today. I got nothing, and I just might need some encouragement." He followed her down the hallway.

"Anything, Joe," she replied coldly.

"I didn't get anything, jeez, Nancy," he said trying to keep from lashing out at her. "What about you? Did you get anything for the case?"

"I might have gotten something valuable, but I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll know tomorrow."

"Why do you have to be so darn cryptic?" He was so fed up that he gave up on trying to hide his frustration. "I thought we were partners, and we both know that detective partners have to share information or it doesn't work."

"See you in the morning," she replied in an even tone. "Good night, Joe." She shut the front door quietly in a way that Joe felt belied her real feelings.

Joe turned off the light but found himself heading back down the hallway rather than leaving. In his upset state, he was in no mood to drive home. He needed to find a place to clear his head and get into a better frame of mind. Before he knew it, he was in Nancy's office sitting in the very chair that she had vacated moments before.

He missed Nancy so much these days. She still worked at Hardy-Drew Investigators, and he didn't feel like there was any danger of her leaving. She was committed to detective work and working alongside him and Frank. Yet, everything was not like it had been even six months ago. Their first year working together had been so wonderful, and he hadn't even realized that at the time.

* * *

"Let me take a turn," Joe said to Nancy as they pulled onto an exit and headed to a gas station. "You've been driving too long."

"Is that a challenge, Hardy?" she said with a smile on her face. "I'd let you know I could drive much, much longer than this."

"Duly noted," he replied. "Maybe I just want to drive? That was not intended as an insult on your abilities unless of course your refusal to give up your position was intended to be an insult on mine."

She feigned seriousness, and he tried his best not to laugh. "Why would you suggest such a thing?"

"I just happen to know that one girl named…what was her name again? Well, anyway, this girl happens to think I'm a very bad driver."

"Oh, does she? Why would she do that? I have a hard time imagining you'd give anyone any reason to doubt your driving."

"I'm not going to answer that. You're as bad as Frank," he groaned.

She laughed.

"I take that back. Frank's laugh is not even half as cute as yours."

She looked away but had the biggest grin on her face. "Thanks."

* * *

Joe felt a wave of sadness wash over him with the memory. Things had been so beautiful then. With Callie and Frank finally hitched and enjoying their lives as newlyweds, Joe and Nancy had spent a lot of time together and had finally gotten to know each other. Sure, they had met as little kids, but the two of them had always been separated by the stronger relationships between Nancy and Frank and Frank and Joe. Up until then, they had been more like acquaintances who had known a lot about each other. Long drives to Bayport for cases and going out together after long days on the job had changed that. For the first time in their lives, they were really friends. Other people had noticed it too. Hannah had given him a new look when she saw him; his dad had inquired about what was going on with Nancy; and Callie had asked if it was possible that Nancy would become her sister-in-law. Joe had been non-committal at the time not knowing how things were going to go, but he definitely hadn't imagined this—the glorious light of day fading into the darkest night.

It had been the Shelton case. The older Joe had gotten the more he had realized the emotional toll of detective work. Despite the mental and emotional toughness he and Frank and Nancy had developed after growing up around investigating and years of working in the field themselves, they were far from immune to being emotionally impacted by their work. Looking back now, he saw that everything with that case had come together to create the worst possible situation imaginable. Frank had wanted to work together, but Nancy and Joe's instincts had lead them in totally different directions. That was odd enough since usually they agreed, but maybe it wasn't so weird when he considered the fact that they had both been wrong. Stress, excitement, and adrenaline had lead to emotions flowing and words exchanged that should have never been said. Frank had been extremely annoyed with their behavior and had tried his best to help but unfortunately was met with little success. Eventually, Nancy, ever determined and independent, had struck out on her own. If that had been the end of the story, Joe probably would have considered her the hero for breaking up weeks of tension. However, she had been captured by their kidnapper and submitted to cruel treatment at his hands. Frank and Nancy and Joe were no strangers to suffering physical harm when kidnapped, but as far as he knew, no one had ever lifted a hand to Nancy in this way. When he found out about it when the case went to court a few months later, he was livid. It filled him with disgust that someone would view her as a mere object. He would never forgive himself for not having been there, and he vowed that he would ensure that it never happened again.

Since then, things with Nancy had never been the same. He couldn't look at her without thinking about what had happened and being overwhelmed with guilt. He kept that to himself knowing that Nancy liked to feel strong and independent. At first, he had tried to arrange things so that he accompanied her on every work related outing. He just had to be there to make sure she was safe. In his mind, he had somehow deluded himself into thinking that Nancy didn't know. That was stupid when she was the most intuitive person he had ever met. One day, she had unexpectedly revealed that she knew what he was doing and that she was done with it. She told him that she would not take cases with him unless he would back down and give her some space. She didn't need to be protected she insisted. She had survived years without it, and she didn't need it now.

The conversation had left Joe feeling really hurt. Why couldn't she understand that his feelings were only natural? It wasn't like he didn't trust her—far from that. She was so strong. He just didn't trust the evil people out there; people who would take advantage of her daring and willingness to march boldly into danger. He would feel this way even if she were his sister, and heck, he loved her so much more than that. He got that she wanted to feel capable. He didn't want to take that away from her when her courage and spunk inspired and captivated him. Still, he found it hard to squelch the desire to do anything to protect her, but he had to back off. It was his only option if he didn't want to lose her for good.

Still, he sometimes felt that he had lost her. Now that he was getting better at holding back, they were taking cases together again especially when Frank was otherwise tied up, but they still didn't talk really. It wasn't like before at least. Sometimes, she would become inexplicably angry at him like she had tonight, and his temper would get the best of him making him respond in kind when he wanted more than anything to always treat her with gentleness and respect. Beyond guilt about the kidnapper had done to her, Joe regretted his behavior in their arguments during the case. His treatment of her had been so far from what she deserved, and he would give anything to take that back. But he knew he couldn't, and that kept him up at night. He had tried to apologize multiple times, but Nancy had always been unwilling to talk about it—changing the subject instead. With all that going on, he couldn't help feeling hopeless that things would ever get better. What could he do that could take things back to where they had been before?

In spite of everything, though, he still loved Nancy more than anything. Sometimes on nights like last night, he would dream about her—dream that everything was perfect and that they were happy. Last night, he had dreamt that they were going on their first date. In true dream fashion, he had gone to the restaurant on Frank's childhood bicycle with Frank and Callie's dog under his arm. Said dog had happily disappeared leaving Nancy and Joe to chat for hours at the restaurant. Sometimes, he thought that that was what he missed most of all—just being able to talk to Nancy. Before they had talked about everything, now there were walls between them.

As he pondered his situation, he felt himself growing calmer. Yes, it was a royal mess, but something about his feelings felt familiar. He was no stranger to feeling what he felt right now. He was jealous—no, he wasn't jealous of Nancy or Frank or Ned or some other person. He was jealous of his past self. He had had everything that Joe wanted now, but he had not appreciated it. Worst of all, he hadn't done anything with it.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for all your kind words on this story. I've really appreciated all of encouragement. There is one more chapter left, and I promise that it will be happier.**


	5. Chapter 5

_AET 31, 32, 32_

As final credits of the movie rolled, Joe sighed. He loved the rough and tumble nature of a detective's life, the many hours of intrigue and danger, and he had once believed it didn't get better than that. That was because he had not yet come to experience the quiet safety of evenings spent with the girl who he loved with his whole heart, the girl who loved him back with that same fervor. As much as he still loved days on the job, it was moments like this one that filled his heart with gratitude and contentment. Nancy's arm snaked around his side, and her head was resting on his shoulder. It was pose that many wouldn't associate with Nancy Drew because they knew her as the independent, tough-minded detective. Joe could truly say that Nancy was all of that—and more. Here alone with him, she could let down her guard and be everything that she was. She didn't have an image to keep up when she had perfect trust that no matter what she did he would always see her as strong and capable.

Speaking of trust, Nancy's was unshakable. She knew what she wanted, and when she wanted it enough, she went for it committing herself with faith and trust that he had long envied. Joe was loyal, true, but also prone to doubt and jealousy. Perhaps it was growing up the younger brother or the frustration of loving Nancy and feeling helpless to do anything to be able to win her heart. Or maybe it was just another side of his passionate nature which dove into life headfirst. Cause notwithstanding, Joe was slowly becoming aware that feelings of that nature were rising up in him again.

As a boy, Joe had often been completely blindsided when the emotions washed over him like powerful ocean waves. That had lead to emotional outbursts that hurt those around him. At an early age, his parents had explained that it wasn't wrong to feel but that emotionally charged words could be damaging. They had taught him to take breaks to cool down when his emotions got too strong. He had been doing that for years now, ever perfecting the art of knowing when he needed to step back and give himself a moment. Although learning to take breaks had helped with the outbursts, it did nothing to keep his thoughts and emotions from spiraling and sometimes he needed long periods of time to get his feelings back under control. In recent years, though, he had finally become more self-aware and developed the ability to notice the feelings when they first sprang up so that he could talk them through before they got out of control.

"Nancy," he said in a serious tone. "I'm feeling a little off."

She sat up and grabbed his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" He smiled. He loved the way her hands felt in his. She was silent for a moment doubtlessly knowing that he needed time to think about exactly what he was feeling.

"You've been spending so much time with Frank lately," he said. He was shocked by what he had just said having had no idea that that was what was bothering him. On second thought, though, he realized that the words rang true. Despite the close relationship that he enjoyed with Frank, it had always been mixed with a little jealousy on his part. Besides, he had always had jealousy issues where Nancy was concerned.

"So what? The three of us are business partners," she replied. "When you're busy with the Jefferson case, it's only natural that Frank and I would be working together on the others."

"But," he countered. "I really want to be spending time with you."

"And what are we doing right now?" she said with a smile.

Joe felt ridiculous, but he couldn't really help it. "I know, but I want to spend more time with you solving cases, you know, doing what we love best."

"We will. There will be more cases." In times like these, Joe was thankful for Nancy's ability to stay calm even in emotionally charged situations. Her resilience in the midst of tension gave their relationship a lot of stability.

"But what about right now?" He noticed that his tone reflected the whininess he felt inside.

"You will be okay. We're just talking about cases, and your case over soon."

He felt his emotions growing more overwhelming and took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to do right now was lash out at Nancy. "You and Frank have always been close, and seeing you together just….makes me feel jealous," he managed.

"Oh, Joe," Nancy said putting her hands on his face and turning it toward her. "There's nothing to be jealous of. Frank is a good man, and I love him as a brother and a friend, but even if there were no Callie and no you, he could never be anything more to me. We're too alike. Being with him would be like being with a slightly different version of myself. That would be no good."

"But you love solving cases with him. It's always Frank said this and Frank thought of that. I love him, and I love you, but sometimes it gets a bit much. I want to feel like…" He felt his voice start to break. "I need to feel like you want to solve cases with me."

"I do like working with you, Joe. Heck, I signed up to do life with you. I don't know what more you're needing?" She was silent for a moment, and Joe suddenly began thinking his feelings were rather stupid. This was Nancy and Frank he was talking about—the two people he trusted most in the whole world. Why was he getting all stirred up about nothing? Besides, he had Frank to thank for the fact that Nancy was sitting right beside him this very moment. If he hadn't insisted that Nancy and Joe get help, they probably still wouldn't be talking. With the fresh start that counseling had given them, their relationship had blossomed into romance, and well, here they were. "You're not going to ask me to quit working with Frank, are you? Because I'd fight you on that one. It'd be silly when we work together so well."

"No," Joe said in a low voice. "That would be too much. I'm not blind to how well you work together. It'd be bad for the business." He stared at the carpet beyond them. "Sometimes I get tired of being the younger brother. Everyone has always been so impressed by Frank. I've grown up hearing everyone talk about how smart he is, how good he is with computers, and how successful he is going to be someday. I'm okay with what I've done, I guess. But sometimes I want to escape Frank's shadow…I'm tired of being everyone's second choice."

"That's not true. You're not my second choice." Joe felt his head jerk up with Nancy's words, and he turned and looked to see the softest expression on her face. "I love you, and I chose you because I wanted you, not Frank or anyone else. And I committed myself to you. Surely, you realize how hard that is for me. I hate tying myself down, and I said yes to being with you for life. Isn't that enough?"

"It is," Joe smiled thankful for the reminder of her words. He put his arm around her affectionately. "I'm lucky you picked me because you're my favorite too. And you're so patient when my emotions get all out of whack."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. You wouldn't be you if you weren't so passionate. I love seeing you pour your heart into fighting injustice and standing up for those whose voices aren't heard…and I'm glad you trust me enough to let me be there when you feel things you don't want to feel." Joe let Nancy's words sink in. How did she always know what to say? He was a lucky man for sure. "Everyone always thinks you're amazing because you're charming and funny, and I appreciate that, you know. All the laughter is good for me, but they don't get to see what makes you such an amazing man. They don't see your big heart and your gentleness."

"I love you, Nancy Drew—always have, always will." With that, he pulled her in and kissed her. He wasn't sure he'd ever outgrow being jealous where Nancy was concerned. He had been blessed with a passionate nature, and his heart had always been stuck on her. But he knew he would surely try.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thank you to all of you who have left me feedback and to those who have read this story. I really appreciate all of you. You make writing for this fandom such a fun experience. I hope this ending is satisfactory and worth the wait. If you have any questions as to the chronology of this story or what exactly happened at certain points, compare it with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boy or That Nancy Drew as all three stories are in the same universe.**


End file.
